Over the past five decades, rising greenhouse gas levels have contributed to global warming and worsening climate change, which present major obstacles to sustainable socio-economic development.
In response, Namibia is strengthening its climate action through the Second Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Namibia project.
Countries must transparently report on climate progress, including emission sources, reduction efforts, vulnerabilities and needed support.
Despite efforts, progress has been slow, leading to enhanced action under the Paris Agreement, which requires Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) every two years to track emissions and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
Namibia submitted its first combined BT and fifth National Communication (NC5) in December 2024, but faced challenges with reporting alignment.
To improve, Namibia plans to strengthen its Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MRV), mitigation and adaptation, develop country-specific emission factors and enhance reporting through the Second and Third Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency projects and the sixth National Communication (NC6).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Sixth Assessment Report indicates that human-driven increases in greenhouse gases are causing weather extremes like heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts and tropical cyclones.
Reagan Chunga, the Project Coordinator for BTRs, NCs, CBIT2, said, "Submit information on your greenhouse inventory by sources and by removals. By sources, where are they coming from? For example, in Namibia, your livestock sector is one of those key contributors to your greenhouse emissions, which is now followed by transport. Our 'dankie Bostwana's' have become a big problem, contributing immensely to greenhouse emissions; the numbers on the road have really tripled over the years."
As part of Namibia's commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (UNDP) held a meeting to align partners on project goals, outcomes, and activities; ensure understanding and ownership of CBITs, NCs, and BTRs; discuss lessons learnt; and clarify UNDP's role and Global Environment Facility funding procedures.
"Through integration with government priorities, these projects are not standalone products, including the low-emission development strategy and the nationally determined contribution and strategies on water, energy and biodiversity. Sustainability of capacities: these projects offer an opportunity to strengthen institutional knowledge, data management, and coordination frameworks that will go beyond the life of the project," said Programme Specialist at UNDP, Uazamo Kaura.
The projects will help Namibia assess its emissions and progress on NDC actions to inform the global community, while updating its financial, technological, and capacity-building needs for a stronger contribution to global climate efforts.